Sorry... sorry... I'm extremely sorry for taking so long to update. But life has this way of kicking you in the in the most important times and well... I'm sorry :'(

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The wind was freezing, managing to raise goosebumps even on the thickest of skins. It mattered little however, to the man standing on the bow of the boat with his arms spread wide as if to welcome more of that cold gush of air.

It didn’t matter to him that he was covered in a light sheen of sea water as the wind whipped past him.

It didn’t matter to him that he was standing at the edge of the boat looking down at the good couple of feet drop in to the freezing ocean.

All that mattered to him was his new found freedom.

Away from his father’s constant nagging… away from the fake-smile-plastered faces of his employees…

He was finally rid of all those facades…

He was free…

Only half a day had passed since he had left his normal life behind but already Eric was feeling the difference. It was really quite amazing that even he himself had been unable to see how constricted and restrained his life had been. He was unaware of it until he broke away.

And now… there was this vast new world at his feet for him to explore and live and ecstatic was an understatement for how he actually felt.

Eric didn’t know how long he stood there. But it must have been for a good couple of hours because now his muscles were starting to cramp up. The sun had started to rise up from the far horizon painting the sky in various shades of pinks and blues and oranges. And although it was still a bit too cold, the warmth of the sun was starting to seep through the air. The water droplets on his face were evaporating, leaving behind a slight residue of salt on his skin and it was starting to itch. With one last look at the brilliant sunrise he got down from the bow wiping the salt away with the shirt sleeve.

He had nothing to do. It was not like he had to go to work or anything. So he decided to lie down on the wooden deck.

Looking up into a cloudless sky his thoughts wandered off back to the people he left behind. They must’ve realized by now that he had left. His father must be throwing a tantrum by now, barking out orders and sending out people to find him. His heart sank a little as he remembered his mother. She may not have been able to help him with his problems but she was the best ally he had in that dreary household. And he loved her- a lot. And it was really saddening that he had to leave her behind without even saying goodbye.

But what has to be done has to be done. Everything he did up to now was for his family, for the betterment of the business. This decision was for his future. This was for himself  because he needed a free life.

The sun was now a long way up from the horizon. The rays brought more warmth than before and reduced the chilliness in the air. Although strong gusts of wind occasionally whipped past him making him shiver, all those sensations blended together and created a calm tranquil surrounding. The noises made by the waves were music to Eric’s inexperienced ears. His eyes closed involuntarily as drowsiness started to overtake his senses.      

In the verge of giving into slumber he was pulled back by a loud thud from underneath him.

His eyes shot open and he groaned as he suddenly remembered the possible cause behind that sound.

He had a ‘hostage’ on board.

          ~~~~~~

Eric was not a violent person. He chose to go around a fight instead of diving into one headfirst.

But when that ‘thing’ had jumped onto his back out of the blue he had panicked. Combine that with  the adrenaline pumping through him with all that ‘running away’ business- it made him retaliate in a way he shouldn’t have. He himself was surprised to find the man unconscious only a few seconds into their scuffle.

He had rushed to the man’s side fearing the worst. But thankfully he was still breathing and apart from the bump forming at the back of his head he was unscathed.

But then came the next question… What the hell he supposed to do with him?

His mind screamed at him to leave the man behind. But looking at the small figure lying on the ground unconscious… something pulled at his heart strings. He knew he couldn’t just dump the man out of his own boat. It was too harsh. Besides he was not some petty thief. Knocking a man unconscious and then stealing his boat seemed like one too many crimes for a day.

He did not use his brain for the entire day. So why start now anyway?

So against his better judgment Eric picked up the man and laid him on the bed.

He couldn’t stall his departure anymore. He had wasted a lot of valuable time already and he still had to go back to get supplies. If the unconscious man woke up while he was gone things were bound to get messy. So he needed to move and he needed to move fast.

Fortunately he still had the brains to check the rest of the boat before he went barging back in to the city. The kitchen cupboards were packed with food items and clean water. In the cabin next to the one he had already entered, he found cloths that were similar to his size. But this meant something else as well.

Unless the guy he knocked out earlier had some weird of dressing up in extra-large clothing, then someone else apart from him lived here. That prompted him to act faster. There was no need to go back anymore. Everything he needed was already there. He only took a moment to park his car amongst the abandoned junk so that no one would immediately recognize it.

After that, all that was left to do was set sail.

So here he was, heading towards a brand new beginning with a complete stranger in tow…

                ~~~~~~

He really should get downstairs and meet the man, explain and apologize for what was going on. For all he knew the other man was just an innocent bystander who got dragged into Eric’s world because of that wrong-place-wrong-time theory.

But he felt too lethargic to even lift a finger from its resting place. It had been ages since he had been able to relax like this. Besides, there was no further noise from the man below the deck so he closed his eyes again, adamant not to get up until the final last second.

It was only when he heard another thump- this one lighter than the first- that he decided to get up. He really needed to check on the other man and make sure he was ok.

He walked down the stairs and made his way to the cabin. He couldn’t quite place his finger on it but he had this nagging sense of deja-vu hanging over his head.

Why does this feel like that first time all over again?

When he finally neared the cabin he cautiously opened the door. His gaze swept across the room and sure enough the man was not there.

OK so this is not deja-vu.

This is the first time happening all over again.

He needed to find the man as quickly as possible. This was his boat and there was no doubt he knew everything about it like the back of his hand. He couldn’t let the man run rampant on-board and disrupt everything. 

Just as he was about to walk out of the door Eric saw something move in his peripheral vision- a very human shaped something…

Seriously…???  Is this guy stupid or something???

Why would he try to attack Eric in the same way he had before and had miserably failed?

The good thing about that, however, was that this time he was prepared.

Eric waited patiently until the man landed on his back. He didn’t panic when those slim fingers tightened around his throat. Instead of bucking like a wild animal, he walked backwards into the cabin as he let his fingers wrap around the much smaller ones around his neck. When he felt the edge of the wooden berth bump against his legs Eric used his full strength to pry open the fingers and let the man drop down on to the mattress. He quickly turned and backed away from the other with his hands raised in a pacifying gesture.

To his absolute relief the man didn’t make any further move to attack him. Instead he just sat there glowering at Eric with hostility. Although he was the one with the imposing aura compared to that ‘little thing’ on the bed, he couldn’t help but cringe a little on the inside.

By god does he have some powerful eye language.

He quickly averted his eyes from the angry face fidgeting nervously. He opened his mouth to try and break the awkward silence between them but nothing flowed through his lips.

What exactly do you say to a man you had just abducted?

After successfully managing to impersonate a fish out of water he finally found his voice.

‘’ummmm… would you like something to eat?’’

He thought he heard the sharp intake of breath like the man was asking him ‘how dare you’,  but he didn’t have time to dwell on it as he was already busy mentally slapping himself over and over again.

Who in the world would ask the man he had wronged whether he was hungry- and on top of that offer the man his own food?

If the air between them was tense before then now it was downright hostile.

And it was all thanks to Eric and his stupid uncooperative mouth.

He could feel the intensity of the other’s glare burning holes into him. Deciding that it was futile to expect an answer from the angry man Eric turned to leave, hoping some lone time would make everything cool down a bit.

Just as he turned the man flew out of the bed reaching towards Eric with his fingers all clawed up.

Eric was actually expecting him to make a move like this. But seriously it had to stop.

Turning in lightning speed he grabbed hold of the shorter man’s wrists just as the fingers were about to graze his face. He pushed him backwards until the man landed on back on the bed. This time Eric didn’t back away. He stood towering over the other man with his hands on his hips, hoping he would come out as intimidating.  

‘’I’m sorry about earlier...’’ his voice was calm and collected; it was his don’t-you-dare--with-me tone he often used with his employees.

‘’…but seriously if you don’t stop doing that… I’m going to tie you to a chair’’

Without waiting for a response- he was sure he wasn’t going to get one anyway- he turned and marched out of the room keeping the door slightly open so he could keep an eye on the man.

He went into the kitchen and grabbed a couple of ramyun packets out of the cupboard. He was still running on yesterday’s breakfast. The adrenaline rush from the whole running away thing and the fight kept him going for the rest of the day but he was starting to run out of it. His stomach was starting to growl and he could feel the energy slowly draining away from his body. He could do with a bit of food. The other man was probably running on his lunch as well so they both needed food.

There’s a saying that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Eric prayed a little in his heart that that was indeed the case for if it’s not… then this was going to be a bumpy ride.